But I Know You Want to Cry Out
by Stephane Richer
Summary: Kagami grunts and turns around to glare at Aomine, but the intended effect is ruined by Aomine's general indifference to Kagami's glares and Kagami's blush, obvious even in the dim light from the streetlights outside and his glowing phone.


But I Know You Want to Cry Out

Disclaimer: Don't own either Fujimaki Tadatoshi's _Kuroko no Basuke _or Jeremih's "Birthday Sex" (title comes from a lyric in the song).

Happy birthday Kagami!

* * *

Kagami's on the phone with some American relative of his who's too stupid or ignorant or both to figure out that there's a time difference (or maybe he just doesn't care), sleepy English words trailing from his mouth rapidly and blending together in a sharp rhythm that keeps Aomine from going back to sleep. Aomine loves it when Kagami talks in English. He recognizes some of it, but trains himself not to so he can enjoy the way the words flow from Kagami's mouth smoothly, in these long and drawn-out sentences that never seem to end. He's not sure if Kagami is taking a breath in the middle of the sentence or at the end, and it doesn't matter because what he's saying doesn't matter-he could be talking about basketball or politics or food or people or anything, really. Well, that's a lie. It's so easy to tell when he's talking about basketball. His eyes light up and he gets more animated and sometimes he even stutters. Aomine butts his head against Kagami's shoulder, but Kagami just rolls over and keeps talking, goes faster. Aomine's thoughts are getting more coherent; he's waking up. He glances at the alarm clock and sighs. It's three AM. Great. Kagami is showing no signs of shutting up any time soon.

Aomine reaches over and grabs Kagami around the side, pinching at his hipbone. Kagami grunts and turns around to glare at Aomine, but the intended effect is ruined by Aomine's general indifference to Kagami's glares and Kagami's blush, obvious even in the dim light from the streetlights outside and his glowing phone. The blush makes Aomine grin, because he knows he's pinching in _just_ the right spot, enough to make Kagami slightly uncomfortable. Aomine pinches again, right there, and Kagami squirms against him, inadvertently backing up closer to Aomine.

Kagami's tone changes, from fast but normal to rushing and harried. Aomine closes his eyes and rubs his face in Kagami's neck, drawing several very sharp, very audible intakes of breath. Finally, Kagami puts down the phone, hand shaky, and before he's even completely opened his fingers Aomine pulls him closer, pressing their bodies tightly together. Kagami whimpers.

"Daiki," he whispers softly, the name trailing from his mouth so aching and pleading thatAomine can't move. He's frozen in his silence, flush against Kagami.

"It's, like, three in the morning," Kagami says, yawning in support of his coming point. "We really need to sleep."

And as much as Aomine has been thinking and wanting and awakening, part of him is still not ready to fully function and would rather be sleeping. He's not even totally sure what he's doing right now, and if his eyes stay closed for too long he'll definitely drift right back off. He opens them, staring at the back of Kagami's head. He bites the place where Kagami's neck meets his shoulder, and Kagami squeaks.

"Happy birthday," Aomine says and closes his eyes again.

* * *

By half past six that night, that's about 90% of the time they've spent awake and together. The deviation from their usual sleep schedule has made them both significantly more tired than usual, and the morning was especially sluggish, rolling out of bed and doing everything out of order because they both forgot what they had done and hadn't done and they were both almost late for work. Somehow, they made it on time but they haven't had a minute to breathe since they arrived. The rest of the fire brigade knows it's Kagami's birthday but they're stretched thin today because someone is on vacation and someone else just got sick and then somebody's brother died in an auto accident. They've double-shifted everyone and are trying to tough it out, but it all boils down to the remaining firefighters doing other people's work. To top these unfortunate events off, there's an arsonist running amok and there's also an unusually high incidence of electrical fires. Kagami's had to call the electric company and remind them to look into what's happening, fill out tons of paperwork, and put out a fire at the edge of the district. It's been an incredibly long day, and he can barely remember how to write his own name (not that he's ever been all that good at writing in Japanese, and if it wasn't for the shortage of people he wouldn't be allowed anywhere near any paperwork that he specifically didn't have to fill out himself), let alone that it's his birthday. He feels totally dehydrated from standing around in his hot uniform all day in the unbearably high temperature (it has to be 95 Fahrenheit at least) no matter how much water he drinks. He doesn't realize that his shift is over until it's been half an hour since it technically ended, because he's still filling out this one goddamn awful piece of paperwork. The chief comes into the room to grab something, and he clears his throat and points at the door.

"Get out, Kagami. You should have gotten an early day, anyway."

Kagami shrugs. At this point, he's so tired he might as well just lie down here and go to sleep. But, no, he's meeting his friends at the bar and they'll be disappointed if he doesn't show up. So he slowly rises and runs a finger through his hair, spreading sweat over the red strands and nods.

It's another hour until he gets to the bar, what with getting home and showering and changing (no sign of Aomine, he's probably there already). He sends a quick text to Kiyoshi that he'll be there in twenty minutes as he rushes out the door. Today is one of those days when he thanks the powers that be for the punctual Japanese trains, and he gets dropped off a block away from the bar at exactly the time he's been aiming for.

It takes a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the dim lighting when he walks in, and when they do he easily spots Kise flailing his arms around. Kise gets hammered every Friday night (although somehow he never gets a hangover) and he starts early. Everyone's used to his antics, and Koganei is joining in, and sometimes Kagami wonders why the fuck he still hangs out with these weirdos.

"Kagamin!" Momoi shouts joyfully, her cheeks as rosy as her hair and eyes. She's going hard tonight, too—although she's usually kind of tipsy by eight. He's just late tonight. She plants a sloppy kiss on his cheek and leans against him, tottering in her stilettos. "Happy birthday! Let me buy you a drink!"

"Sure," Kagami says, scanning the table. Aomine's not here yet. Odd; he usually gets off early on Fridays and is one of the first ones here. He didn't say anything last night or this morning about having to work late, and he hasn't sent a text or anything. Kagami pulls out his phone and frowns; there are no notifications.

He's distracted by everyone else greeting him and giving him birthday wishes and catching up with how everybody's been doing this past week. Finally, there's a lull in this and they get to other subjects and side conversations.

"Where's Aomine?" Riko asks, tapping her hand on the table.

Kagami shrugs. "I have no idea. I thought he was here already."

Momoi has finally flagged down the waiter. "Another vodka martini, please, and Kagamin? What are you having?"

"Get me one, too."

"He's probably working hard," Kiyoshi says. Mitobe raises his eyebrows, Momoi giggles, Izuki looks thoroughly weirded out, and Koganei bursts into peals of laughter, pounding the table.

While Kagami appreciates Kiyoshi's attempt at brightening his spirits (or at making everyone laugh, he's not quite sure which one was the primary purpose) it doesn't make him less worried or agitated. He just wants Aomine to be here right now, or at least to know that he's okay.

The waiter returns with the vodka martinis. It's not Kagami's favourite drink, but it will have to do right now. He chugs the whole damn thing, wiping his mouth afterward. It burns his throat like a motherfucker and tastes disgusting—why did he order it? Well, it's not like he can think of any other drinks on the spot. Better yet, how the hell is Momoi taking regular sips like it's nothing? Usually she only has beer. The heat and the buzz of the conversation around him are both grating him, and then the alcohol slowly starts taking hold of him (damn it, he's such a lightweight). Kagami puts his head in his hand.

"Just call him if you need to," Izuki says, patting him on the back.

Kagami walks off to the hallway leading to the bathrooms, where it's less noisy. He checks his phone (still nothing from Aomine) and dials the familiar number, pressing the phone hard against his ear. It goes straight to voice mail.

Fuck.

He tries again, only to get the same result two more times. Finally, discouraged, he pockets the phone and goes back. "Nothing," he says in answer to Izuki's questioning glance.

"Everyone!" Kiyoshi shouts. "Let's toast to Kagami for his birthday!"

They all, in various states of inebriation, raise their glasses and drink. Kagami half-smiles at them. Momoi (or maybe someone else) has ordered him another vodka martini so he takes small sips, throat still burning each time the liquor goes down his throat. Everyone resumes conversation, and he half-listens to Izuki and Koganei talking baseball, occasionally nodding when he hears the name of a player he knows. He's staring off into space when he feels a pair of arms around his waist.

"Hey." No apologies, no explanations, but Aomine's here.

Everyone else has started to notice him, and they all greet him at once, asking where he's been and why he's so late before Kagami gets a chance to gather his own thoughts and figure out what he wants to ask. He explains that he got held up, first at work when he was out on some case, and then he got back to the station late and they had a debriefing and then it was rush hour traffic, and he's still in his cop uniform because he decided taking a shower would take too long and he'd probably sit on the bed and just fall asleep (knowing Aomine, that's true—he's done it before and will probably do it again).

Aomine plops down on Kagami's lap, ignoring the protests that he's too heavy. He knows he really isn't, and he knows that Kagami would rather have him stay this close right now, can read Kagami like a book. It's really frustrating sometimes, but he wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

They get out early, both tired and Kagami practically falling asleep where he is. The gentle rocking of the train lulls him almost completely asleep, but Aomine keeps poking him awake. They collapse in bed, still dressed but fingers fumbling at buttons on each other's clothes. They still have enough energy for sloppy kisses and licks and caresses and finally, Aomine's fingers are pinching at Kagami's hips and he's licking Kagami's stomach and Kagami's body decides that sleep is not important right now. It's now all too easy for Kagami to make Aomine aroused, easy for his fingers to nimbly prod and stroke and make Aomine shudder and groan. It's easy for him to stretch Aomine out and pound into him, it's easy for them both to just keep going, Aomine so sweaty and Kagami mostly sobered up. It feels so good, the pleasure hitting him in waves that relieve the stress from his aching shoulders and back, and eventually he climaxes, shouting Aomine's name and collapsing as Aomine comes. They sink, exhausted, into the sheets, limbs intertwined and clothes still halfway on.

Aomine kisses Kagami lightly, then stares into his sleepy, half-lidded eyes.

"Thanks for being born," he mutters (saying this sentimental stuff makes him blush without fail, even after all this time). Kagami smiles and closes his eyes the rest of the way.


End file.
